travel Archives - Page 10 of 20 - The Wifey's Corner

February 10, 2017

Manmaruya, Ashfield

We still experience the worst of summer here in Sydney, where temperature reached up to 43 degrees in the west. Last weekend was no exception, it was really hot while we were out here and there mostly all day on Saturday. We spent first half of Saturday looking at property inspections around Ashfield and decided we should grab quick lunch in the area. After all there are plenty of choices to choose from at Ashfield, but we ended up at Manmaruya. Also on the note of Sydney heat, I think I will not do any more baking or much cooking indeed until it is cooler again 😛 So stay tune for more recipe posts probably in a little while…

We got to the restaurant around quarter past twelve and there were still plenty tables available. We ordered the special lunch bento boxes whereas hubby tried their cold ramen.

Those lunch bento boxes are really good value for your money no doubt, huge portion of rice and generous amount of delicious meat with salad and some small side items. As for the cold ramen, it really came like the normal ramen but with cold broth. The broth is so refreshing, it is a little bit tangy but very tasty, just perfect for a hot day. By the way, you can always upgrade your ramen portion to a bigger size if you feel super hungry 😀

Manmaruya Japanese Noodle Bar

217 Liverpool Rd., Ashfield NSW 2131

Phone: (02) 9799 6889

manmaruya.com.au

February 5, 2017

Jongga Jip Korean BBQ, Eastwood

Finally we got to try Jongga Jip in Eastwood after passing it with big crowds in front of the restaurant so many times. Chinese New Year celebration came with excuse to eat out and after all the considerations, we decided to go to this place for its numerous good reviews. I was hoping it would be a nice (read: not so hot) day, but as it turned out to be over 30 degrees in the afternoon – nevertheless still we had good time and great meal. And what is more exciting than having Korean BBQ is those side dishes, right? 🙂

We got there at 6 pm and there were still plenty of tables available. But since it was our first time and it was a weekend night, so we reserved beforehand just to be safe. We were given table at the corner, perfect! Menus were distributed promptly and so were water. We might have over ordered this time as the platters came and there was just not enough spaces on the table. But to be fair, those 12 side dishes already took up so much space on the table anyway… So what we did was hit those side dishes first and let the waiter took them away to clear some space on the table for our order.

Here are what we had there:

On the left are Marinated Pork and Ox Tongue;
On the right are all the side dishes

Left: Assorted BBQ Meat Platter; Right: Seafood Pancake (Medium); Top Right Corner: Jap Chae

Mostly everything were delicious: the ox tongue were thin and tender. So are the marinated pork, very tasty and nice cut hence not stringy. Seafood pancake was huge serving for a medium size and has generous amount of seafood in it. Unfortunately it felt a little floury, but hubby loves it. Jap chae was really delicious and also came in massive serving. I would suggest to rethink before ordering if you are sharing between two people only.

The meat platter was a little disappointing, mainly because the boneless beef ribs were chewy. But aside of that, everything else on that platter was lovely. If we are coming back again, we probably will not order the platter, but rather get the individual plate of the nice cuts we had tasted so far.

Overall we are happy diners at Jongga Jip and would love to come back. Although with so many choices available in that area, it may be a long time until we are back here again 🙂

Jongga Jip Korean BBQ

87 Rowe St, Eastwood NSW 2122

Phone: (02) 9858 5160

Open hours: 10 am – 11 pm

December 24, 2016

Ceci Korean Restaurant, Strathfield, Sydney

This is a very late post, never quite finished it all this time and while cleaning up my drafts saw it again. Anyway, we went here in June while mom visited us – in fact, this was the last dinner before mom went back to Indonesia again. We chose Ceci based on Zomato reviews and to tried a new restaurant in the area as well. Also mom loved the Korean black bean noodle (Jajangmyeon), but since not many Korean restaurants in Strathfield does it. Those reasons were what bring us to this restaurant.

We didn’t take many pictures here but here are the food we ordered:

Pork, Sausage, Vegie & Tofu Soup with Noodle – $38

The food were not bad, but not outstanding that made us want t0 go back again either. Jajangmyeon was a let down, too greasy and not tasty, the noddle was cooked a tad too long. Then the crispy chicken with spicy sauce, I guess would have been a better choice if we ordered just fried chicken without any sauce whatsoever. Seafood pancake was nice, tasty and not too floury. The noodle soup was also good with generous pork and sausages.

All in all, we had a decent meal, it was not really that horrible but may be just not to our liking. There are plenty of positive reviews on Zomato of this place, but maybe it was not our lucky day or what not. But considering there are many more Korean restaurants around, we would try many others than coming back here.

Ceci Korean Restaurant

37 The Boulevarde, Strathfield, Sydney

Phone: (02) 8084 3171

December 24, 2016October 25, 2023

Maenam Lao & Thai, Strathfield, Sydney

December is generally a festive month and truly the time when we have many gatherings and catch up sessions going on. Not just for Christmas celebrations, but there is also the end of year, then my husband’s birthday, also my sister in law’s birthday. And yesterday, we had dinner at Maenam Lao & Thai for my sister-in-law’s birthday. It’s the first time we branched out from our usual Green Peppercorn for Laos/Thai meal. Apparently, Maenam means mother river that divides as well as connects Laos and Thai.

Maenam is located in the main strip of Strathfield, few doors next to the Strathfield Plaza on The Boulevard entrance. The restaurant is semi open air, where the front part of the restaurant is totally open. There are plenty of seating, however the walkway in-between chairs are narrow so there could be awkward moments when you bump into other chairs when walking in/out.

The menu itself is quite extensive, with choices of salads, stir fries, curries, noodles, desserts, and drinks. And these are the food that we ordered last night:

So, the verdict? The food were delicious and tasty, love the ox tongue and crispy noodle most! The ox tongue is very tender without any chewiness at all, seasoned well and goes perfectly with the dipping sauce. The crispy noodle is tasty with that goodness thick gravy, and the noodle texture is lovely. This is something we have never ordered at Green Peppercorn, in fact I am not even sure they have it. I think their red duck curry is creamier and very slightly less sweet than Green Peppercorn. We prefer the Green Peppercorn’s version of deep-fried snapper with mango and green apple salad, mainly because the fish has been filleted and de-boned for easier eating plus the salad/sauce is more refreshing. Crispy pork belly is deliciously seasoned, cut in generous chunks which may be why some pieces are not as crispy as others, nonetheless tasted very yummy.

In general we’d still prefer Green Peppercorn, however if for any reasons we don’t feel like going to city for a Laos/Thai meals, this definitely be a great substitute. Price wise is in similar range and taste almost on par anyway. Just maybe, a reservation ahead will save you troubles waiting for a table if you coming in bigger group.

Maenam Lao & Thai Restaurant

31 The Boulevarde, Strathfield NSW 2135

Phone: (02) 9746 5882

http://maenamlaothai.com.au/

December 18, 2016December 29, 2020

Dos Senoritas, Gladesville, Sydney NSW

Although we have been getting buritos take away for dinners fairly often and thoroughly enjoy them, I have never had a proper meal at a real Mexican restaurant. And since my brother and his wife have been talking about Dos Senoritas for a long time and speak highly of it, so here we went on one Saturday. This restaurant is located on the busy Victoria Road at Gladesville. There is parking space at the back of the restaurant for driving patrons.

More seating are – this part was not used when we were there, probably only open during busy times

I think the restaurant is not very stand out and you could easily just drive pass without noticing it. The interior is a little outdated as well, but seating area is bigger than it seems from the outside. They are mostly booked out for dinner, so we were fine walked in for lunch that day. A friendly waitress then led us to our table and passed on the menus.

And these are our orders:

Chipotle Chopped Salad: Grilled chicken breast, iceberg lettuce, jack and cheddar cheese, pico, black beans and avocado. Tossed with chipotle ranch and tortilla chips – $24.00

Gringo Burro: Stuffed with choice of chile verde, shredded beef, chicken or ground beef with black beans, sautéed peppers, onions and rice topped with sour cream and green chile sauce – $25.00

Pollo Fundido: Shredded chicken with jack and cheddar cheese topped with jalapeño jack cheese and cheddar cheese – $25.00

Did you notice the size comparison of cutlery to serving size? Yes, they are so massive! The burritos are solid packed and super filling. I love the rice on the side, reminds me a little of friend rice without the grease. All the dish tasted great, but I had hoped that the jalapenos on Pollo Fundido be more spicy. That salad bowl made of deep-fried tortilla was the bomb, love this most! I feel that the crunchy tortilla is what takes the salad to the next level and I would really love to order this again and again. Personally I think they are a little steep in price per dish, but then again you get a massive serving of food; I’d rather they charge less for a smaller servings so people can order multiple dishes to share and try out different dishes or at least still have stomach space for desserts. Nonetheless, these are good meals and feels authentic – not that I have been to Mexico myself (ღ˘⌣˘ღ)

Dos Senoritas

New address: Shop 2/3-7 Cowell St, Gladesville NSW 2111 (Updated 29/12/20)

~~265D Victoria Road, Gladesville 2111~~

Phone: (02) 9817 3737

dossenoritas.com.au